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Arts Brief: Lips Flick

Written by David Callicott on . Posted in Posts

The guys from the Flaming Lips are spending this week in Cassadaga, New York, dealing with some last-minute technical changes to the soundtrack of their new movie, Christmas on Mars. Wayne Coyne, the fabulous frontman of Oklahoma’s most psychedelic band, took time to talk about the sci-fi fantasy, which opened at the KGB Bar cinema
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We Still Love Rock and Roll: Wilco Delivers The Goods To Brooklyn

Written by David Callicott on . Posted in Music, Posts


 
What a great week of music—much of it outdoors, with unseasonably mild weather to make it that much better. The two-man storm-of-sound Black Keys flooded McCarren Pool last Thursday; Radiohead and a bunch of amazing-in-their-own-right-but-superfluous-in-the-moment openers pleased the masses at All Points West (which I missed, but with good reason); that bright Conor Oberst and his new Mystic Valley Band were pretty dang good at the Bowery Tuesday night and, bringing it full circle, Wilco put the icing on the cake at McCarren last night.
 
Word apparently got out that their set would start at 7 pm sharp, because it looked like nearly every one of the 3000 or so people who showed up had the same idea—“I’ll get there at 6:55”—which meant twenty-plus minute waits at the gate. Which was probably the reason the set didn’t actually get under way till closer to 8.
 
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Photos by Jonny-Leather
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Pop Rocks on the River

Written by David Callicott on . Posted in Music, Posts

Last night when my friend and I boarded the U.S.S. Half Moon at the 23rd Street Skyport Marina, we had the same thing on our mind: drowning. As we crowded onto the bow of the upper deck, where every one of the 100 or so passengers had congregated to seemingly smoke at the same time, it seemed possible that the “yacht” might very well tip over and take a dive. “At least we’ll get on the news,” I offered consolingly.

Luckily, the Half Moon proved seaworthy. And for the next three hours we defied capsizing and enjoyed our virgin Rocks Off concert cruise, which was helmed, so to speak, by three of the catchiest indie-pop bands ever to float down the sewage-stinky East River.

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A Clean and Sober Justin Townes Earle Still Has That Old-Timey Feeling

Written by David Callicott on . Posted in Music, Posts


Five years ago, when he was a crack addict, Justin Townes Earle probably associated the phrase “high and lonesome” with something different than what he does now. It was the feeling he got after hitting the pipe, then the feeling he got when the fried-brain buzz wore off. Now high and lonesome is the sound—that Hank Williams-y hollow-gutted-but-full-bodied, sad-but-joyful croon—Earle lets loose when he leans into the microphone and takes you, no matter where you are, to Nashville.

Last night, Earle channeled the heroes of old-timey music and traditional country, as well as more recent heroes of garage punk, at Joe’s Pub....

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Cave Singers are a Folk Trio. But Vocalist Pete Quirk Reminds Me More of Stevie Nicks

Written by David Callicott on . Posted in Music, Posts

The Cave Singers packed the house last night at the Mercury Lounge, but they didn’t necessarily rock the house. Which is fine, because they’re not really a rock band. As Matador, their label, makes it clear in the band’s press release, The Cave Singers are a "folk trio." When I first read that, it made
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